It goes without saying that when Ghost announces a new record is in the works, their ravenous fans go through several emotional states—from the delight of new music on the horizon to anticipation of what new live performances might include fearing that a band held in such high esteem may not deliver the standard expected of their devotees. For the more obsessive fans, the period between the announcement and the album’s subsequent release is akin to a small child waiting for Christmas morning. Like past recordings, Impera manages to merge styles in a grandiose way that don’t quite meet the expectations of those genres. They sound gothic without sounding like a goth band, there is an epic air to their music that could command a stadium rock show while not quite being a stadium rock band. In ...
